We aren’t quite sure what Sony are up to lately, but things are certainly looking just a little bit strange. Firstly, we saw the Xperia Z4 handset launch, but not really. It launched in a very atypical fashion, with minimal hype and fanfare, and it’s a Japan exclusive. There is, as yet, absolutely no word as to whether the Xperia Z4 will land elsewhere, and believe you me, people are asking.
Then there’s the Xperia Z4 Compact, which — too — looks to be an exclusive for Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo. It’s no secret that Sony’s mobile division isn’t doing too well, struggling to turn a profit from quarter to quarter. This may explain the very low profile launches. Who knows.
Anyway, Sony have released another exclusive for NTT DoCoMo in the form of the Xperia A4. The handset is destined to be a mid-range handset, and could easily be (or double as) the Xperia Z4 Compact if launched globally — the specs appear to be on the money.
The Xperia A4 is a 4.6″ display at 720p with Sony’s standard Triluminos display. There’s 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, and (it being a Sony) there’s of course a Micro-SD slot as well which can take cards up to 128GB. Pulling all this together is a tried and true Snapdragon 801 at 2.5 GHz, with the also-standard Adreno 330 GPU. There’s a 20.7MP Exmor R camera on the rear, and a (surprisingly low-res) 2.2MP front-facing camera. All this is powered by a 2,600mAh battery, with Sony’s Android 5.0 UI. THe device is certified for IPX5,8 and IP6X for water and dust resistance, all in a package checking in at 129grams.
With that out of the way, we can see that the Xperia A4 is a powerful mid-range device, just like the Xperia Z3 Compact was last year — in fact, save for a change of clothes, the Xperia A4 basically is the Xperia Z3 Compact. Available in Blue, White, Grey and Pink, the phone will launch on NTT DoCoMo in mid June.
Will we see any more of Sony’s 2015 handsets outside Japan? The only phone we’ve had any confirmation of for Australia is the Xperia C4 — which with a MediaTek CPU and higher-res front-facing camera is basically a slightly different Xperia A4 — and even then, that’s not coming too quickly.
What’s happening Sony? We want to see more of your products down-under, please!
Those this is practically a Z3 compact?